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5 from 12 votes

Vegan Taco Mac and Cheese Bake

Vegan Mac and Cheese Taco Bake with Walnut Taco Meat and Vegan Cashew Queso combines two family favorites into one epic vegan casserole that comes together quickly! Make it tonight.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Tex Mex
Keyword: taco mac and cheese, vegan taco casserole, vegan taco mac bake
Servings: 4
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the Walnut Chickpea Taco Meat:

  • ½ cup raw walnuts
  • ¾ cup cooked chickpeas
  • 3 tbsp sundried tomato packed in olive oil or 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder blend I use chipotle powder chili blend, which a lot more flavor of the chipotle chili
  • ½ jalapeno
  • 1 pickled jalapeno
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp oregano

For the Cashew Queso:

  • ¾ cup of raw cashews soaked in hot water for at least 15 minutes
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp chili powder blend
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp Chipotle pepper flakes or chipotle pepper powder
  • 1/2 tsp Miso
  • ½ cup water

For the Mac Bake:

  • 2 cups elbows or mac or other pasta uncooked
  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes or fresh salsa
  • 2 cups water or stock
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 - 2 tbsp Pickled Jalapeno
  • 2 tbsp tortilla chips crushed, optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the walnut chickpea taco meat:

  • Add the walnuts to a food processor, and process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until the mixture is homogeneously combined and there are no whole chickpeas remaining, but it still has texture.
  • Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and taste and adjust flavor. If the mixture is too dry add in a tsp or so of oil, or lime juice, and mix in.

To make the Cashew Queso:

  • Drain the cashews, and add to a blender along with half a cup of water and the rest of the ingredients until really really smooth and set aside.

To assemble:

  • Grease a baking dish, about 8 by 10 inch baking dish, or similar size, really well. Add your pasta , and spread all over.
  • Scoop the walnut taco meat mixture using a cookie scoop or spoon, and place it on top of the elbows.
  • And some tomato or salsa, you can also add in the pickled Jalapenos if you like.
  • Drizzle your cashew queso and sprinkle some salt all over. Then pour 2 cups of water. all of the mixture should be evenly covered.
  • Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
  • Remove the dish. You can check at 40 minutes if the top is set, and that the pasta is cooked from the edge and remove it or continue to bake another five minutes.
  • Sprinkle the top with some crushed tortilla chips, sliced up pickled jalapenos, and serve. You can also drizzle some thinned out vegan sour cream or reserve 1-2 tbsp queso and use that to garnish

Notes

For Glutenfree:, use Glutenfree pasta. 
For Nutfree: Use Silke. Tofu for the queso or use my flour based Nutfree queso
To sub walnuts, use other nuts like cashews or pecans or use pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts for no nut.  
  • If you don't have miso paste, add more nutritional yeast

Nutrition

Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 944IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 6mg